Seraphina Does Everything!

Seraphina Does Everything is a wonderful book for today's busy grade school kids (and their parents). As a parent, I loved every part of this book. The sing-song tempo in the beginning was fun and the words, colors and especially main character were engaging.

Seraphina is a little girl who wants to do it all but realizes that "doing it all" means that you are missing out somewhere. The conversation with her dad (instead of mom) is something you don't often find in books and in the end Seraphina is honest about her limitations and finds balance, which is very insightful for a kid that age.

The tips in the back of the book were perfect for adults to help kids find their way when they don't always know how to express it. I haven't seen any other books like this and I'm very impressed and think it will be perfect for young kids who are already feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the demands on their time.

Thank you to NetGalley and National Center for Youth Issues for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Not only is this a great book for children to read, but it is also great for adults with young children! The book focuses on multiple perspectives: (1) putting so much on your plate because you are scared that you will miss opportunities, (2) not having a social life because you are so overwhelmed with the activities you are doing, (3) doing things that you love instead of doing things to say you do them, (4) doing fewer things so that you do them well, (5) and most importantly, having a balanced life! Sometimes, parents have children doing too many activities and sometimes kids put too much on themselves without thinking of the consequences it can have on their body, mental health, and social life. The author also includes tips for educators and parents in helping balance a child's life.

The illustrations and poetic form were beautiful, and the message along with it- you are everything!

Seraphina Does Everything is a timely reminder that we need to slow down and spend time to relax in this hectic age where the fear of missing out is rife.

What child doesn’t want to try everything? They see a friend doing dancing and want to join in, or sport, gym, singing. There are so many extracurricular activities offered to children these days it’s enticing to want to do everything.

Seraphina is loving life rushing from one after school activity to the next. Weekends are spent driving to and playing sport. However the pace starts to take its toll and Seraphina can’t seem to perform well at anything. Her lessons are falling behind and her friends no longer invite her to parties.
She is doing it all but why is she feeling so blue?
Seraphina learns that she can still do the things she loves the most but she needs balance in her life and time to relax and enjoy her friends.

Dot listened to this story with eyes open wide because she is a girl that likes to try everything too. She decided that Seraphina was very tired because she doesn’t sleep because she might miss out on something in the night.

This beautifully illustrated book is written mainly in rhyming verse. The verse is happy and bouncy, narrated by Seraphina she is happy to be doing everything. When Seraphina feels down this part of the story is in a more subdued prose. Both narration styles suit the book perfectly.

I did get stuck a couple of times reading the story because you strike up a natural rhythm reading rhyming verse and then when it changes it takes a few lines to realise the rhythm has changed. Although on a second read (and this is a gorgeous book that will be read over and over) you know the changes in the pace and it becomes a natural progression.

Seraphina Does Everything will become a favourite story of children and parents alike and is a recommended read for parents who want to discuss the need for balance in the child’s life.

At the end of the book are tips for parents and educators on discussing the impotance of balance and how to create it in a child’s life.